The Golden Emperor
by Sakura Gianfar
Summary: Post "Legend of Luke." Kiku is pursued by the Golden Emperor. Martin is overly dramatic. Characters die. But please R&R because it is a really good story, I just can't summarize it because it would give too much away! Enjoy! - Sakura Ginafar
1. Chapter 1

The Golden Emperor

**The Golden Emperor**

The lake around Kotir was slowly drying up, leaving only the parade grounds underwater in what would one day be the Abbey pond. Willing paws worked long and hard to fill the Gloomer's underground cavern and make a level base to begin constructing the abbey. Many of Kotir's original stones and structures were used, although they were thoroughly scrubbed to remove any evidence of the vermin. Soilflyer and Old Dinny had developed a new type of mortar that they used to build the Great Hall – with sweeping buttresses lost in the heights. The outer wall was taller than all but Bella of Brockhall, so the squirrels and otters were kept busy increasing the height of the scaffolding foot by foot. The hares had long since retreated to their mountain, but encouraged the "Redwallers" (called so after the pink sandstone used in construction) to "be sure t' invite us next time you 'ave a bally scoff, wot wot!"

--

A pink sun rose to greet the nearly completed walls of Redwall Abbey. Inside, however, it was still the ruins of Kotir, although many rooms had been retained, making up the basis for dormitories and an infirmary. Squirrels, otters, hedgehogs and mice worked hard to build the battlements taller than three grown badgers so that all who lived there would be safe. Others were busy in the makeshift kitchen preparing breakfast for the workers and their families. A little to the east, shrews, moles, and otters worked cutting and transporting the stone blocks from the quarry down the River Moss. All this Martin saw from his perch, on top of a tall hill far from the Abbey. Now that he had returned from his journey to trace his roots and find his father, now that vermin skirted the legendary armies of Mossflower, Martin's mind was free to wander. Wander, perhaps, to the faded, ethereal shadows of what could have been, or maybe the dark shadows of a past he would rather not relive.

--

Kiku ran for her life. As she ran, she clutched a sword in a black leather scabbard, sharp enough to split a hair crosswise, but thin, slightly curved, coming to an uneven point at the top. The hilt was round and removable, cast with chrysanthemums. Her father's sword. Should have been her brother's, but he was dead. "Deader 'n a carp in the desert," she told herself. Good. They had hated her. As she ran, she left her family home behind, burned to the ground. She looked back. Far behind, a dust cloud pursued her, shining golden in the refracted sunlight. But she had little time to focus on the beauty of the dust cloud. The reason for that cloud was the ten score of vermin, the Golden Emperor's army. Unfortunately, her tiny, high-wasted, tight kimono was ill-suited for running (to say the least). Not to mention her pack bounced uncomfortably off of the intricate knot on the back of her obi.

Tripping over another rock on the flat plains of her homeland, she decided to take a stand. The slim mousemaid drew the thin sword from the scabbard, holding it in front of her in a ready stance.

"All right now. Let's take as many of the scum with us as we can." she said to no one in particular. "Bushido!" Screaming the ancient war cry of samurai warriors, the cry of her father and brother, she prepared to single-handedly vanquish the horde of vermin, who were armed with little more than sharpened wooden stakes, with a few bows.

Swinging at the first row of vermin, she chopped their spears into kindling, then went after their heads. She was close enough to see their gold teeth when she was lifted by the back of her robe. She looked up at the eagle who had her by the obi on her kimono. "What d' you want with me?" she shouted at the eagle over the cries of the angry assorted mob of stoats, weasels, rats and ferrets who just realized that their quarry had eluded them yet again.

"Saving you from the Golden Emperor, little cho-cho."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"You may call me Haruto."

"I am Kiku Akira Masuyo, daughter of Ryouichi Masuyo, shogun and rightful Emperor of this land." Kiku stuck her chest out proudly, even though she was a good fifty feet off of the ground.

"Bold words for a little butterfly." The eagle emitted a screech that Kiku realized was a laugh.

Haruto landed on a small ledge of a cliff face, twenty feet above the ground and a good fifteen to the upper edge of the precipice. "What did you do to anger the Emperor?"

"I was born. Actually, Noborurin killed my father and brother after he took over the throne. To cement his victory he wanted to marry me."

"I take it you said no?" Haruto emitted another throaty screech-laugh.

"Uhhhh… obviously. Actually, I didn't say no, I said 'I would rather die than take orders from you.' Hence my pervious situation. Why did you save me, anyway?"

"I fight the Emperor because he killed my wife and children. They were defenseless, and he gained nothing." Haruto's eyes hardened with hatred for the bloodthirsty ruler of the once peaceful kingdom. "We'd better get some sleep, though. You are going to have to walk through the forest tomorrow."

--

"You lost her." The large glob of muscle sitting on the gilded throne was not a mouse, nor was it any recognizable breed of vermin. It's decedents would be known as the Wearet and Kharanjul. It shook with anger as the two fox captains slowly backed away. "You lost her. She was one mousemaid." His tone became one used for children. "Was she scary? Because I know that your great big armies were afraid of her. Poor little foxies." Suddenly, he exploded with rage, sending the porcelain dish of roasted bird flying at the cowering Captains. "Follow her, fools! I want her brought back here ALIVE! And I want that eagle on a platter!" The two foxes quickly ran out of the room, covered in chunks of bird.

"Tis's crazy, Takeshi! Tat stupid mouse was gotten by 'n eagle! He 'spects us to get 'er back 'live?"

"Tarou! Shhhhhh! If t' Emperor 'ears us, 'e'll be wearin' our tails 'roun 'is neck! The eagle look'd like it was 'elpin 'er. I'll bet they're 'eaden for ta forest. We'll go dere t'morrow.

Noborurin – EMPEROR


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING.

--

"Haruto? Do you hear that?" Kiku jumped as the raucous laughter of a score of vermin echoed off the tree branches.

"It's just some vermin. Stay away from them, I can't land here to help you if you get in trouble." Haruto calmly flew low above the treetops.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kiku walked through the forest in travel clothes – much more comfortable and loose fitting than the kimono. She thought about her father, who had known little about raising a daughter without a wife, so raised her mostly as a son, her brother, who had been jealous because she was a better swords beast, and her home, which had been in the family for generations. But all that was gone now.

"AAAAAAH! Oh! Let me go, disgusting vermin! Oh! Help! Thieves! Murderers!" A shrill female voice echoed through the forest. Kiku drew her sword and carefully edged through the underbrush to a small clearing. An assorted band of rats, weasels, ferrets, and stoats, headed by a red fox, pointed their rusty assorted weapons, ranging from a kitchen knife to a searat cutlass, at a small shrewwife. Her husband lay slain at the outside of the group.

"C'mon naow, wench, tell us where 'em vittles are stowed!" A particularly fat rat, who had obviously been a searat at one time, was poking the shrew with his cutlass.

"Don't you dare. Let's keep going, Kiku." Kiku vaguely heard Haruto's words. She chose to ignore them. Leaping out of the bushes, she killed the fat searat and another ferret, giving the shrew time to run off into the bushes. Kiku kept fighting until she was hit over the head with a large heavy club. Even though her vision was blurry, Kiku kept swinging blindly until another blow from the club knocked her out.

--

Martin sighed. "You would have loved this place, Rose," he thought to himself. He fingered the hilt of his sword. He hoped he never had to use it again.

"N'uncle Martin! N'uncle Martin!" Chugger and Gonflet ran up the hill towards Martin. "Abbess Germaine says you have to come in cuz it's teatime!"

"Then I'd better go now! Race you!" Martin took off down the hill at a slow trot, making it look like he was running fast. Gonflet and Chugger ran a little bit of the way, but Chugger tripped, fell into Gonflet, and the two Dibbuns fell rolling down the hill, beating Martin. The great gates of the Abbey were open, as they had been from the moment they were put up.

Tea at Redwall Abbey was an extravagant affair, with mountains of scones, tea, strawberry fizz, small pastries, and all sorts of other goodies. Unfortunately, Martin got to the spread a moment to late. Beau was already there, chewing away at a mountain of scones, pastries, and fresh fruits, punctuated by long slurps of tea. "Munch crunch chew 'ello, Martin! Munch, why what a lovely scone you are! Munch crunch gobble SLURP! …."

Wandering away from the table with a scone in hand, Martin sat next to Gonff in the nearly completed Great Hall. "What's the matter, Martin?" asked Gonff, who saw that his friend's eyes had a faraway look to them.

"Oh." Martin immediately snapped back to the present. "Nothing, Gonff. I was just thinking." He returned to contemplating the pink icing on his scone, comparing the shade to the walls of the Abbey as he thought.

"Well, what about?"

"Nothing." Martin tried to evade the question because the answer would have been 'about Rose,' or 'about my past,' and that would have required him to tell the story of the battle against Badrang, all his friends he gained, and lost, and left on the far northern shores.

"Y'know, I think you need a girlfriend." Gonff's teasing tone brought back a surge of memories. Memories of moonlit nights on coastal cliffs with Rose.

"SHUT UP!" Martin shouted, turning heads as he stormed out of the Abbey and back out into the forest. Martin carried his sword at his side as he ran south from the Abbey, passing the old abandoned church Gonff and his family sometimes stayed at. A worn sign next to the building said Saint Ninian's. Martin remembered a story he had one heard Vern or Beau tell, how his father's family had lived here until they were driven out by Lord Verduga Greeneyes. Strange, how he had returned to his ancestral family home.

--

Kiku came to with a splitting headache staring into the murderous golden eyes of a red fox. The fox pointed Kiku's sword back at her. "I'm Shouta. We goin' west, away from d' Emperor. We seen your h'eagle. 'E can't do nuttin about you."

Even though Kiku's hands were tied, she jumped, spitting, at the fox. "I'll get you someday!" she shouted as she was jerked backwards by the rope, tied to a nearby tree.

"Let's go." The vermin band started off at a fast pace to the northeast, dragging Kiku behind. They marched over deserts and through woodlands, crossing a stream far south of a great mountain, but skirting a marsh. As the vermin slept and Kiku sat tied to a tree, stake, or whatever happened to be large, heavy, and nearby, she could swear she saw the venomous eyes of toads peeking out of the bushes. But nothing came of the "eyes," and the small band was soon in Mossflower Woods. Being only a half a score, they avoided the Guosim, otter holts, and other warlike bands patrolling the woodlands to protect their families. After almost a month of traveling, they settled down a little bit east of Saint Ninian's. Kiku was tied securely to a tree, and the ferrets, stoats, and rats settled down for the night. Shouta slept under a makeshift tent at the near side of the fire, and the embers slowly died down as the shadow of Shouta reflected through the cloth relaxed, stretched out, and released the sword.

Kiku heard a rustling noise in the bushes. A male mouse stepped into the light of the fire. He had a sword that he held in front of him, with a red pommel stone. A Western sword, far different from her's. The mouse's face came close to hers as he whispered into her ear, "I am Martin. I will cut the ropes and then we need to run back to the Abbey."

"The fox has my sword." Kiku whispered back, "I'm not leaving without it."


	3. Chapter 3

If I OWNED them, I would be writing a BOOK, not a FANFICTION!

--

Martin started at the vengeance in the girl's eyes. There was something about her that he couldn't explain. He whispered into her ear, "Alright. But if he makes noise we'll have to fight all ten of the vermin, you know that."

"So?" the girl replied, "They're cowards. They won't even have time to blink before they're running for their lives." There was no fear or hatred, indeed, no emotion in her voice. She was simply stating a fact, as if he had asked her which day it was or the answer to a math problem.

Martin watched her silhouette as she snuck into the tent. She pulled a slender sword, unlike any he had ever seen, out of the fox's grasp. She pointed it at him as she prodded him with her foot. He woke with a snort and turned his head with a strangled gasp as she hoisted him to his feet.

"Told you I'd get you, didn't I." The stoat let out a strangled shout before she slew him with a single stroke. In the shadows, Martin watched as she wiped her sword clean on the body of the stoat. He peeked around the edge of the tent. The vermin were awake and staring at the mousemaid with wide eyes. Kiku spun the blade of a small dagger she had picked up around her finger and shouted, "BOO!" The vermin screamed and ran for their lives, trampling each other and running into tree branches in their haste to get away. Kiku laughed lightheartedly at the antics of the vermin.

Martin stared at her sword. It was thin and whippy, like the sabers of the long patrol, but lacked the basket hilt and sharp point. A simple sword, the only adornments being the round hilt and the cord that was wrapped around the grip. Kiku returned to the tent and dug around in the packs until she found her saya, or scabbard. She tied the black lacquer scabbard with the sword safely inside to her belt and tucked the dagger into her belt next to the sword.

Martin, still slightly shocked at the cavalier way she had dispatched the vermin, led Kiku towards the path that led back to the Abbey. With a screech, Haruto dived out of the sky at Martin, who raised his sword, ready to slash at the incoming onslaught. Just at they were about to collide in a storm of feathers, fur, beak, and steel, Kiku shouted, "Whoa! Haruto!" Both parties stopped, Martin with his sword raised to attack and Haruto with his wings half spread to attack from above.

Martin, who had dropped his sword to his side, asked, "Wait… you know him?"

Kiku ran over to Haruto. "Haruto, this is Martin. He's not vermin. In fact, he freed me from the vermin."

Haruto was still a little distrustful (Martin had, after all, tried to attack him with a sword) but Kiku's word was good enough for him. Tied onto his back was a small brown bag of coarse cotton cloth, which Kiku untied and slung over her shoulder. As Martin and Kiku walked down the wide dirt path and Haruto soared above, both forgot their troubles for a little while.

--

Takeshi and Tarou, although not the some of the sharpest knives in the drawer, were intelligent enough to know how to appear to be doing work when actually accomplishing very little. These skills had been enough to get them promoted to Captains, although they were no more or less intelligent than any of the soldiers that served Noburin under them. Their sister, Kasumi, was a silver vixen, Seer fox and advisor to the Emperor. The emperor was very superstitious, but not knowing any of the "signs" a seer fox would notice to predict an event, he was pretty much under the thumb of Kasumi and her two brothers. Kasumi had a plan. Unlike her brothers, she was quite brilliant, with a capacity to plan far ahead. Knowing that Kiku had escaped, she planned to get the Emperor killed in his quest to recapture Kiku. She would then take over ruling the empire.

"Kasumi? When would be an auspicious time to set out to capture my escaped prisoner?" Noburin, perched on his throne in front of a large fire, stared at the odd light blue eyes of the fox. The vixen threw a handful of powder into the flames, causing them to spark green. This she apparently took as a good omen, and said so, informing the emperor that he would be wise to depart before the moon was full and arrive at the great far woods that the scouts had found within two full moons. "But where shall I find her, Seer Kasumi?" One of the nice perks of being a seer was that Noburin respected you above all others, so you never got kicked around.

"You shall know, O Emperor. A building unlike all others, rivaling your own palace. She will be there. But you must beware, for…" But Noburin had already called Takeshi and Tarou to ready fivescore of the troops for march. He had lost threescore to the rebels, with another score injured, and a score of fighters were needed to guard the palace. _ That __Ryouichi Masuyo was an insane fighter, skilled in every way_, he thought. It had taken all tenscore of his troops to round up Ryouichi, his son Daiki, and Kouki, who had been going to take over the throne. His throne. Kouki had claimed he was to be married to Kiku, and ready to fight to prove it. He had single-handedly taken out almost a score of fighters after he and Kiku were captured. He was only beaten by sheer numbers and the perhaps slightly unsportsmanlike use of his sword. Ryouichi and Daiki had fought wildly to try and save Kiku. As a last effort, he remembered that Ryouichi had passed his sword on to his daughter and fought with a dead soldier's weapon. _It's a pity_, he thought,_ that they would not submit to my reign. They could have been captains in my army._ But, of course, they were dedicated to their silly rebel cause. Noburin grabbed his sword. Made of steel that glowed with an odd dark silvery grey, it, unlike the average samurai sword, was sharpened on both edges, making it doubly deadly in the hands of an experienced swordsbeast. Most samurai frowned upon this, as it weakened the blade and was considered dishonorable, but since when had he cared about honor? Noburin didn't intend to fight, but he needed to make an impressive entrance, so he had his armor packed in crates so he could arrive to capture Kiku in his black lacquered metal armor.

"Stupid animal." Kasumi whispered under her breath as she quickened her pace. She had to find her brothers, at least, and warn them of the danger. She pushed aside the cotton cloth covering the doorway of her brothers' room.

Takeshi was picking some sort of animal flesh out of his teeth with a splinter of bone while Tarou was carefully waxing his bowstring and counting his arrows. "Eh, sister? What does d'Emperor want with fivescore o' outfitted fighters?" Takeshi flung the shard of bone into the corner, where a large pile of other splinters was mouldering.

"Brother, I must warn you. He is after Kiku, and he will stop at nothing to get her back. I received a warning in my prophecy, but _he_ didn't listen. They will not anticipate an attack, but…" She was interrupted by Tarou, who had finished with his bowstring and was now adjusting the fletching on his arrows.

"If'n dey ain't expecting us'ns, why should we be worried? We kin take 'em an' bring back 'is prize, and lotsa booty fer us ta boot!" Tarou considered his logic sound, but his sister aimed a sharp kick at her brother's shin, and he hopped up squealing, rubbing his injured leg. "Wa' wuz dat fer?"

"If you had just let me finish, you bucket of kelp slime… The prophecy gave a warning: if you slay the first forest creature you see, you will incur the wrath of a great red-eyed warrior, with a star-steel blade, a legend in his own lifetime. None can stand against the red-eyed warrior. They say he killed a wildcat Queen single pawed and has bested even the most seasoned warrior in single combat. Avoid him at all costs, for he is the guardian of the forest, and his wrath is swift and unmerciful." Kasumi finished her warning and glared at her brothers. The remains of whatever unlucky piece of meat Takeshi had been jawing on was splattered on the straw mat, and Tarou had stabbed himself with a steel arrowhead he was trying to affix to a shaft.

"Ya mean you tried t' tell 'is Lordship 'about d' red-eyed warrier an' 'e ignored you?" Tarou had to clarify. Kasumi ignored his question.

Takeshi had the better question. "Are dere any weaknesses, or flaws we kin use t' kill 'dis warrier?" Kasumi's eyes glazed over for a second and she spoke in a voice that was not her own.

"The only way to kill the red-eyed warrior is to enrage him by killing what he holds most dear. Then the true nature of the cursed red-eye will come out, and the warrior will lose all reason. That is when he is most deadly, but also the easiest to slay." Kasumi snapped back in an instant, staring into the eyes of her shocked brothers.

The enraged stamping and distinctive curses of the emperor floated into the silent room. Without a wound, Takeshi picked up his sword and Tarou slung his bow and quiver over his shoulder. Exiting the room under the blue cotton cloth without a sound, Kasumi slunk down the twisting hallways, avoiding the "nightingale" boards that squeaked at the slightest pressure.

--

Martin reentered the Abbey with a slim mousemaid at his side and a vicious, yellow-eyed hawk behind. Oblivious to the turning heads of the builders, stonemasons, and stained glass workers that were constructing the as-yet unfinished Great Hall, he continued to where Gonff was consuming a scone under an apple tree sapling.

As Martin approached, Gonff stood up, dusted off his coat, and bowed very prettily at the waist to Kiku, who was struggling to maintain her composure. Grasping her hand and lifting it to his lips, Gonff asked, "And whom may I have the pleasure of greeting this lovely summer day?"

Barely containing a snort of laughter at Martin's facial expression and rolled eyes, stated, "I'm Kiku Akira Masuyo."

"A lovely name to match a lovely face. What did old grumpybones back there do to pick up a lady like yo.. OW!" Columbine, with a well-aimed scone, had conked her husband on the head mid-flattery. "Why… my beautiful Columbine, love of my life, I didn't notice you there."

"Hello." Columbine greeted Kiku with a smile. "I apologize for my husband's behavior. He is a bit of a flirt. I'm Columbine, by the way, and my husband who is unsuccessfully pretending to be deep in conversation with that bush over there is Gonff." Gonff had snuck away from the conversation, and when he heard his wife begin to introduce herself had become totally absorbed in the nearest thing – which happened to be a blackberry bush.

Sneaking back over to Martin, he asked, "Where'd she come from? _**That**_is one good-looking mousemaid right there, Martin. How come you haven't introduced us before?"

Martin rolled his eyes. "Gonff, I just met her today. She had been captured by vermin, and her friend," Martin gestured to the hawk, who was watching the proceedings with one yellow eye, "couldn't help her because the vermin stuck to the trees."

"Aaaah." Gonff whispered back, "Typical damsel in distress."

"No!" whisper-shouted Martin, "You don't get it at all, I just cut the ropes and she did the rest…"

"Mm-hmm. Yeah, I get it." Gonff winked conspiratorially at Martin and went to introduce himself to the large bird of prey that was attracting a lot of attention from the Redwallers. Abbess Germaine and Bella of Brockhall pushed their way through the crowd towards Kiku and Martin.

"Martin!" Bella swept the mouse up in a giant bear (technically it would be a badger) hug. "We were so worried when you ran off like that!" Bella finally noticed the large hawk and the mousemaid.

Martin didn't answer. He was too busy trying to catch his breath after being dropped by Bella, who was now with Abbes Germaine talking to Kiku and Haruto. Before she could even say a word, Kiku was bundled off with a troop of curious and sympathetic Redwallers. Haruto, convinced at this point that there was no danger from the assorted mice, badgers, hedgehogs, squirrels, and otters, perched on a large beech tree just outside the almost-completed walls.

Later, when the sun was just brushing the tips of the tallest trees and bathing the red walls and battlements with an orange glow, Kiku told her story to Martin, Gonff, Columbine, Dinny Foremole, Bella, Beau, Vurg, Dulam, Trimp, Ferdy, and Coggs, along with many other Redwallers who had finished their duties early. She began to speak. She was a natural storyteller, her voice transporting the listeners to her world, into her memories, and, consequently, into her soul, baring it for the world to read and judge.


	4. Chapter 4

Kiku started at the beginning. "I, Kiku Akira Masuyo, am the daughter of Ryouichi Masuyo, sister of Daiki Isamu Masuyo, and former betrothed of Kouki Shinobu Katsuo. Our legends say that my family is directly descended from the Sun God, though I now doubt that. If there was a god protecting us, he would have." Martin stared at her dark eyes and was shocked at the bitterness in her voice. She continued, "I was born to be the Empress of the Golden Court, as the eldest child in my family. My brother, Daiki, was to be a samurai, a warrior of great valor and discipline, and because of my position, I was trained in the warrior's arts as well. My father was to be Emperor as his father was, or had been until _he_ arrived. Noburin, an animal unlike any other, with no ears, no neck, and bristling with muscles. _It_ killed my grandfather and my mother, so my father, my brother and I fled to our summer home at the edge of the great western desert. That was many, many years ago. Under Noburin's reign our once fertile country withered. Rain stopped falling to water the rice in the fields. The desert extended its reach further than ever, enveloping our summer home that had once been surrounded by rice paddies. During the reign of my grandfather, there had been no poor, no homeless, and no hungry. Now, everywhere we went there were beggars, homeless and unemployed. Citizens were pressed into the army, forced to mingle with the vermin at his command. Eventually, my father was able to gain the trust of another lord who protested the usurpation of my grandfather. We began gathering a small rebellion force. Although it was only a score of fighters, they were all samurai: highly trained, highly disciplined. His son was the head of the fighters. His name was Kouki. Even before Noburin had arrived, it had been planned to marry us, and make him Emperor over the land. Although I protested sharing my power with anyone, he was a decent mouse. A brilliant fighter. Possessed, some whispered, by _kami_, and that in times of great trouble, he would be given the strength of a hundred fighters but lose all fear for his life. He was my greatest friend, though I think it bothered him that I could best him at swordsplay. My brother, I think, was jealous of my status as the future Empress, though I never found out for sure. Both he and Kouki would fight me. They took it easy on me at first, but after they had been disarmed hundreds of times, they fought with all their strength." Kiku's eyes filled with golden droplets of tears, reflecting the setting sun that now was almost sunk behind the trees. Strange, she thought, how simple telling of her memories made them all more real, and made her wish to go back to the days when her life was simple, planned out for her, and every move was choreographed to bring her closer to her rightful throne. "Kouki had honey colored fur, and his eyes shone like jet. We went out fighting together, and we were an unstoppable team, defeating entire legions of vermin. The four of us, Ryouichi, Daiki, Kouki, and I went out, backed by our score of fighters, to regain our throne. Our fighters were, alas, quickly dispatched by the deadly traps that… that…" Kiku struggled to retain her composure as rage bubbled out from beneath her sadness. "that _he_ set. Noburin had sent ten score of armed fighters, headed by the warlord himself, to do battle with just four. I did not yet have my own sword, but I fought with a great iron pikestaff, which, if wielded properly, can become a deadly weapon, with a reach farther than all but a bow and arrows. Kouki and I approached the warlord, and dispatched of his guard quickly. I only caught a glimpse of his sword, but…" She drew her sword, and her audience gasped as it reflected the moonlight. She described how a sword was made, how layers of steel from a certain quarry was folded over and combined with steel from a different quarry to create the blade. She described the reason her sword was only sharp on one edge. "The two pieces of steel, folded into each other, create one edge of very hard steel, which we sharpen so it can cut a silk scarf in half in the air. The other edge is very soft steel, so it is less brittle and bends instead of breaking. But Noburin's sword is from some other land. It looks like ours, but is sharpened on both sides, making it a deadly weapon simply for the surprise it brings. That and his brute strength make him a formidable fighter. We would have defeated him, if not for his sword… Kouki fought like a wildcat, but even he, with the strength of a hundred warriors, could not best ten score of vermin. Noburin killed him. With his double-edged sword, he struck from first one side and then the other. I… well, I went blind with rage. I took Kouki's sword from where it lay and used it. I don't know what happened over the next few hours, but somehow my brother and I were captured. I didn't have Kouki's sword anymore, but I remembered where I had hid my father's right before we were captured. My brother had managed to get hold of a knife and he secretly cut our bonds. Noburin told me he intended to marry me to solidify his grasp on the throne. Completely blowing our escape plan, I rose up to my full height and spat in his face, declaring that I was nobody's spoils of war, that I would never consent to marriage. My brother covered my escape. I grabbed my father's sword and ran towards the desert. It took the army a full day to be massed, so I made it to my father's home, quickly grabbing clothing and my silver dagger. As I was running through the desert, I looked back and saw flames set by the vermin consume my home. Their captains must have seen me, for with a roar, they took off, many feet pounding the dry flat ground. I reached the gorge and turned, prepared to make a last stand. Haruto saved my life; I have no doubt about that. He just swept me up before the vermin could get to me. And for that I am eternally grateful.

I got here because I heard that vermin avoided the northwest, so Haruto and I started that way, through a great far forest. I was captured by a vermin band and marched this way. We marched for about one cycle of the moon, passing another great desert, a large lake with an island like an eye, swamps filled with toads and lizards, and even a great mountain that belched fire. Haruto was never able to help me because the vermin knew he was there, and mostly stayed in the trees to prevent an attack from above. No one challenged us, until Martin came along and freed me. I fear there are about a half score of frightened vermin are loose in your woods, although from what Martin tells me, they will be dispatched by one of the many groups of fighters in your woods."

Takeshi and Tarou were on the move. Flanked by five score of well-trained stoats, rats, and ferrets, they marched towards where the soldiers had seen Kiku last. "Yori!" The scout, a flea-bitten and scraggly rat with one blue eye and one brown eye, appeared as if from thin air in front of Takeshi and Tarou. "Find where the prisoner went and then report back to me!"

"Yes." Yori slunk through the crowds of vermin and away into the forest where Kiku had disappeared.

As soon as Yori was out of sight, Tarou sighed with relief. "'E gives me de creeps. Dat one blue eye… Ugh!"

"Shuddup!" Takeshi aimed a swift kick as his brother. "Withou' him we'll never find 'er!"

Noburin, in his great silk tent, was remembering the look on Ryouichi's face as he had died, what he had whispered to Noburin. "You will die alone. Alone and far away, without ever ruling my kingdom truly and rightfully. Yet even after you know that, you will live. You will live among strangers, who will never know who you were." Just thinking of the curse made Noburin shiver. Mere words, he told himself, have no power over life unless you obsess over them.


End file.
